I made the pilgrimage to the Hill Farmstead Brewery in early August and picked up a 2 liter growler of this particularly fruity Imperial IPA brewed with Citra and Galaxy hops. Why 2 liters? Let's just say I couldn't resist. Beer was poured from the growler into my St. Bernardus chalice. Review is from notes.

Appearance (5/5): A medium strength pour from the growler produces a luxuriant 2 finger, white head of foam that sits atop a body of opaque, peach orange colored beer. A significant amount of sticky lacing lines the sides of the glass. This is one of the most picturesque IPAs I have seen: it has the signature HF peach orange hue and opaqueness due to its being unfiltered and demonstrates ample head and lacing. Everything you want to see in a beer, nothing less.

Smell (5/5): Notes of pineapple, tropical fruit, some pine. There is a distinct earthiness to the S & S #4's aroma that I really like. There are faint hints of malt that push back, albeit gently and, ultimately, ineffectually against the tidal wave of fruity hop aromas.

Taste (5/5): The first thing anyone notices about this IPA is the absurd level of fruitiness going on: mango, pineapple, orange, passion fruit, grapefruit, and cantaloupe. A little piney flavor is worked in there as well. The bitterness is medium-ish, to put it technically; hop astringence is less prevalent than hop sweetness and fruitiness. S & S's bitterness grows as you consume and the hop oils saturate the tongue, however. A nice biscuity malt provides a nice bit of token resistance. Minimal alcohol presence in the back does not distract at all from the wonderful hop flavor experience. Legit perfection here.

Mouthfeel (5/5): Society and Solitude #4 has a medium body and good medium-light carbonation. This is a very smooth beer. Unlike many IPA's, this one doesn't have much prickliness to it. It is highly drinkable and never feels thick or cloying because of body, poor carbonation problems, or resinous-ness.

Overall (5/5): Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude #4 is, simply put, incredible beer and is one of my favorite Imperial IPAs. It is a beautiful, exceptionally fruity, mildly bitter, and immensely drinkable beer that begs to be had fresh. Whenever you see it on tap or at the brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT, make sure to snag some. I hope all you hop-lovers enjoy it as much as I did.